updated 01:10 pm EST, Tue January 2, 2007

LG Shine Reaching US

LG is gearing up to launch its definitive Shine phone in North America. Already released in Korea as of December, LG's slider will see its Western debut at next week's CES show. The Shine is widely characterized as the successor to the immensely successful Chocolate and earns its name through an extravagant brushed metal design accompanied by a simple, two-direction scroll wheel for navigation. The phone should still carry its upgraded 2-megapixel camera and 1GB of internal storage when it ships to the US by the middle of this year; a CDMA version is expected first for Verizon and similar carriers. A GSM variant will ship to Europe early this year and may be released in North America later in 2007. [Via Far East Gizmos]